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Sid Meier's Colonization:
When the name Sid Meier is credited in a game, most people expect a very good game. That's true, Sid Meier and MicroProse Software created many wonderful games in the 80's and 90's, including Pirates! and Civilization. Colonization is my personal favourite though.
"Colonization" related to "Civilation:"
"Colonization" is inspired and includes portions of "Civilization" and you play the game the same way. However, "Colonization" is so much "less" compared to "Civilization" because in "Civilization" you control a tribe that explores and conquers the world from the beginning of the human existence until the end. In "Colonization" it (only) takes part in the Renaissance (1492 and further). The time when Europeans emigrated and discovered America to live a new life.
Though I LOVE "Civilization" I prefer "Colonization", probably because I am very interested in the epoch this game takes place in. I grew up with this game, and I was very good at school when we were having history subject about the Indians and the emigration of the Europeans etc.
Starting the Game:
There are three alternatives you can choose when selecting to discover America:
1. Start a Game in New World: America is randomly created.
2. Start a Game in America: The map looks EXACTLY like America on the world map.
3. Customize New World: When choosing this you can adjust for yourself how you want the world to be created:
- Land Mass: If you want the land mass to be small, moderate or large.
- Land Form: If you want archipelago, (islands) normal or continents.
- Temperature: If you want the temperate to be cool, temperate (normal) or warm.
- Climate: If you want the climate to be arid, normal or wet.
Note: Temperature and Climate adjusts how you want the terrains to be in the new world.
The Europeans: England, France, Spain and Netherlands:
There are four nations you can select to control and each of them has their specialities:
- England: Receives immigrations from Europe faster then the other nations.
- France: Good in cooperating with the Native Americans.
- Spain: Good in battling Native Americans.
- Netherlands: When trading in Europe the prices on wares doesn't raise that fast then it does in the other nations.
You have also 5 difficulty ratings to choose between. After selecting difficulty you are ready to begin the adventure!
Discovering America:
You begin with a Caravel (Merchantman if you choose Netherlands) loaded with pioneers and soldiers. You should sail west with your ship and make landfall. Try to find a good spot to build your first colony covered with forests, mountains, hills, resources and of course most importantly: by the sea so your ships can enter the colony. When you have built your first colony, Europeans are interested in seeing the new world and live in your colonies! You should use your ship to travel back to Europe to bring them to the new world.
The Emigrants:
There are ALL kinds of people that will join you! Carpenters to build you buildings, lumberjacks to chop wood, ore miners to mine ore, silver miners to mine silver, scouts to discover the new world for you, gunsmiths to produce muskets for you, blacksmiths to produce you tools, (you need tool to irrigate and build roads) distillers to produce you clothes, rums and cigars (selling these wares in Europe will earn you gold). However, MOST importantly: farmers and fishermen to produce food for the colonies so your people doesn't starve!
If you are looking for colonists who are specially skilled in something you don't have or need more off you can buy them in a university in Europe (but it will cost ya!).
To produce sugar you need to plant sugar first, you want cigars, you need to plant tobaccos first, you need clothes, you need to plant cottons first, and if you want jackets, you need to hunt for furs from animals first.
Sadly you can't get planters and trappers in Europe, they have to work with that in a long time in the colonies to to be a master planter or trapper.
Do also know that you MAY get criminals and servants with you to the new world, they are not skilled in ANYTHING, but when they have served you long enough, they may be normal colonists and can later be skilled in something.
You can also get statesmen to help you with getting "founding fathers" (I'll explain that soon) and preachers to bring you Christianity to your colonies and more emigrants you will get. You can get missionaries as well, you send them to Indian villages to learn Christianity and maybe some of the Indians will join your colonies to live with you. Though they are not so good in manufacturing, they are better then any Europeans in planting, hunting, fishing and mining.
And least, it is VERY important to have veteran soldiers and artillery to protect your colonies and attacking Indians, Europeans, and your former country when you have declared independence! Soldiers needs muskets, but if they have horses included, they are faster and stronger (you have to buy horses in Europe and they can grow in your colonies).
You can also buy ships in Europe to help you trade or attack at sea (or you can build ships in your colonies when you have built a shipyard).
Indians & Other Europeans:
When you are discovering the new world, you will eventually step into Indian land or any of the other Europeans land. Or, they may find you first.
There are many Native Americans in the new world including Sioux, Aztec and Inca. I recommend that you try to be friend with them as long as you can. You can trade with them, send them your wares with a wagon and buy something from them. You can send a unskilled colonist to a Indian village to learn a skill including miner, planter, trapper or fisher. I also told you that many of the Indians will join your colonies if you send a missionary to one of their villages. You can also use your missionary to ask the Indians to declare war against one of the other Europeans if you are at war with one (or more) of them. To make the Indians stronger, you can give/sell them muskets and horses.
Indians are peaceful people, the only thing they dislike is when you irrigate and build roads close to one of their villages. If you discover a ruin with hidden treasures the Indians might get angry if you took some treasure that might have been sacred for the Indians, so beware!
In the new world you will sometime eventually meet the three other Europeans. And like the Indians, you can trade with them and ask them to declare with one of the other Europeans (or an Indian tribe) if you are not at war with them. The Europeans are more dangerous and has a lower temper then the Indians. The Europeans will always demand gold from you or ask you to leave their colonies alone or something like that often. The reason they can be dangerous is because they developed and grows just like you.
Founding Fathers:
In "Civilization" you research for technologies. Not in "Colonization". Here you need Statesmen to produce you liberty bells to help you get "founding fathers" to help your nation. There are MANY great founding fathers that can help you, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine, Hernando DeSoto, Hernan Cortès and Pocahontas just too name a few.
They have all each of their bonuses to help your nation to become stronger. They can for example help you in discovering the map, trading, increasing production, and allows you to build some buildings you couldn't at the start.
Declaring Independence!:
I have already told you A LOT, but I have one last thing to tell you before I jump to the conclusion. The goal in this game is not wipe out all the others like you do in "Civilization". When you feel strong enough, you should declare independence and declare war against the land you used to be. If you, for example, are England, you are no longer England, you are U.S.A.! You and your emigrants are sick and tired of your greedy King who raises the tax rate and decides everything, it's time to show him that you are better then him and can start your own free land!
Protect your colonies with soldiers, dragoons and artilleries. You should also have built protection. A stockade, a fort or the best: a fortress! It is also important during the war that you have built custom house so you can smuggle your wares to Europe and still earn gold.
Remember that you can declare independence anytime you want. Do so when you are 100% ready!
Be prepared for anything, cause the king's guards and artilleries are strong! Though they are not familiar with the new worlds terrain, you must try to protect and wipe out ALL of the King's soldiers. When you have done that, you have won the game!
Conclusion:
Discover America, find treasures, meet Indians, build fortresses and artilleries, get President Washington himself on your side! All this and MUCH more can you do (and only) in Colonization! Definitely worth to hunt for.
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There isn't anything particular interesting with the graphics. Some nice few animations here and there, but nothing more.
Please don't find my graphics score insulting though. I like the graphics the way they are. This is how it's supposed to look.
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Very nice music that suits the game perfectly.
Good sounds too, better than the MS-DOS sounds on the PC.
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Addictive and fun! Superb playability! The way you play the game couldn't have been better then this.
You have a great overview of everything you control, just like a library with all the books in alphabetical order.
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Sid Meier has done it again!
Colonization is a game to worth to own. So many different interesting wars will continue on while you play further in it.
Believe me, You will love this strategy masterpiece! |
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Get Amiga Forever with pre-installed Workbench, games, applications, and much more.
It also contains the original Amiga ROM-files, 100% legally!
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